Chrome Enterprise moves to better differentiate work, personal browsing
By
Computerworld Browsers
Google on Thursday unveiled new security controls for Chrome Enterprise, allowing IT departments to help employees better distinguish between work and personal browsing profiles.
Employees using Google Workspace or Google Identity will see a new sign-in experience that shows what’s managed and shared with their organization when they create a separate work profile for bookmarks, history, and other data.
Chrome Enterprise Core businesses also have new policies and customizations, while Chrome Enterprise Premium provides advanced data protection and secure access, the company said.
The browser suite includes new secure sign-ins, user authentication, and identity management across Google services. Google Identity integrates with Google Workspace and other third-party applications, allowing businesses to streamline access management, bolster security, and make sure users have the correct permissions and access.
IT teams also benefit from better profile reporting and data protection for unmanaged devices in BYOD environments, the company said, and can enable reporting for managed users across Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. In one view, they can access key info such as browser version, OS, policies, extensions, and device management status, making it easier to monitor BYOD or contractor setups.
With Chrome Enterprise Premium, companies can apply data controls and access restrictions, such as blocking copy/paste or screenshots, when employees or contractors sign into a work profile. Those company policies can be enforced on all devices through Chrome.
The browser suite upgrades are designed to enhance transparency for employees, allowing them to clearly recognize separate work and personal browsing, especially on personal devices, according to Julia Lomakina, product manager for Chrome Enterprise.
“With the browser playing a more critical role in daily work, it’s more important than ever for IT teams to make it clear to employees that they are logged into a corporate browsing experience that is managed and monitored by their company,” Lomakina wrote in a blog post.
In addition, Chrome Enterprise will now allow organizations to customize browser profiles with a company logo to help workers immediately see when they are using a managed browser profile.
Upcoming Chrome releases will also show employees they’re in a managed “Work” profile, even without custom logos, whenever policies are applied.
